Nelke

See also: nelke and neļķe

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German nēgelke(n) (“little spike, nail”), from Old Saxon nagal (“nail”). Cognate of German Nägelchen (“little nail”).

Low German-looking forms are already found in Middle High German negelkīn alongside negelīn; the contraction is first attested in Central German Nelekin. The feminine form in -e is a backformation from the plural. The name is due to the typical form of cloves; compare Latin clāvulus (“clove”), from clāvus (“nail”), of which the German form may be a loan translation.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [ˈnɛlkə]
  • Audio(file)

Noun

Nelke f (genitive Nelke, plural Nelken)

  1. clove (plant and spice)
  2. carnation, pink

Declension
Declension of Nelke [feminine]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative eine die Nelke die Nelken
genitive einer der Nelke der Nelken
dative einer der Nelke den Nelken
accusative eine die Nelke die Nelken

Descendants
  • → Cimbrian: nelke
  • → Latvian: neļķe

Further reading
  • “Nelke” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • “Nelke” in Duden online
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